Thrashing-machine



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P.E.G0 0D. THRASHING MACHINE.

No. 551,542. Patented'Dec. 17, 1895.

(No Model.) 6 SheetsSheet 2.

Paeo'onk THRASHING MACHINE.

' No. 551,542. Patented Dec. 17, 1895.

' 'AEID man 1 'N iiiiiiggfilmi R wi/liweooao (No Model.) P E GOOD 6Sheets-Sheet 3. THRASEING MACHINE.

No. 551,542. Patented Dec. 17, 1895.

NIBRLW B. GRAHAM. HMO-WHO. WAS"! NGTDN. D C.

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 4. P E GOOD THRASHING MAGHINE.

Patented Dec; 17, 1895.

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THRASHING' MACHINE.

No. 551,542. Patented Dec. 17,1895.

M BREW QGRMAM "HOMO WASHIN GTO II .01;

llNiTED STATns ATENT Trice,

PETER E. GOOD, OF ETNA GREEN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO l-lOlYARDZIMMERMAN, OF LEESBURG, INDIANA.

THRASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,542, dated December1'7, 1895.

Application filed September 9,1395. Serial No. 561,948. (No model.)

To aZ Z' whmn it may cancer-12 lfic it known that I, FETER E. GOOD, acitizen of the United States, residing at Etna Green, in the county ofKosciusko and State of Indianzuhave invented certain new and usefulImprovements in. Thrashing-Machines; and I do declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements ingrain-separators for use in connection with thrashing-machines, and ithas particular reference to that class of separators in which theseparation of the grain is in whole or in part effected by means of anair-blast.

The invention has for its object, among others, the provision, inconnection with a separator of the character above mentioned, of ablower which is located beneath one end of the machine and in connectiontherewith of pipes so disposed with reference to the body of the machineas to supply an incomin g forced air-blast at one end of the machine,near its bottom, and at the opposite end of the machine an exhaust orsuction blast, which blasts serve to effectually separate the chaif fromthe grain.

The invention has for a further object the provision of mechanismwhereby the speed of the blower or fanshaft may be automaticallyregulated, said mechanism being so placed with reference to the machineas to be entirely out of the way, and to occupy but little space.

A further object of the invention resides in the peculiar constructionof the feeding mechanism and means employed in conveying the strawthrough the machine, and finally the object of the invention consists inthe general improvement in the construction and operation of this classof machinery, whereby an efficient, serviceable, and inexpensivegrain-separating machine is produced.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may pertain, the sameconsists in the peculiar construction and in the novel combination,arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafterdescribed, shown in the accompanying drawings, and then specificallydefined in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of thisspecification, like letters indicating the same parts throughout theseveral views, and in which drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimproved separator. Fig. is a plan view of the same with a portion ofthe top covering removed. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on theline 3 3 of Fig. Fig. at is a horizontal section taken on. the line 4 4:of Fig. Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. is anunder side view of the front portion of the machine, showing themechanism for governing the speed of the fan. Figs. 7 and 8 aresectional views taken on the lines 7 T and 8 8, respectively, of Fig. 3.Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the concave.

I will first describe the thrashing mechanism, with the delivery of thegrain upon the grain carrier, and afterward the mechanism for separatingand cleaning.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, Adesignates the easin g of the separator, which is suitably braced andsuiiiciently rigid to support the bearings of the operating parts.

The feed-hopper (t is located at the forward end of the machine, andthrough said hopper the material to be thrashed is fed to the cylinder.

B designates the thrashing-cylinder, which is composed of two heads I)b, an intermediate spider Z), and parallel bars 0 Spikes b are arrangedspirally around the cylinder, being secured to the bars 11 in a suitablemanner. The cylinder is supported on shaft B revolving in bearingssecured to the main frame. Shaft B is provided with pulley Z)", which isbelted to the engine or other source of power, and pulleys 22 5 whichare belted to other portions of the machinery.

O designates the concave, lying under the thrashing-cylinder, and iscomposed of severalsections, three being shown in the present case.These sections are held at each end in grooved supports 0, fittingclosely again st the casing on either side, and are provided with eitherlongitudinal or transverse slots or a combination of both, asillustrated in Figs. 4 and 9, thus permitting the grain freed by thecylinder to pass through and find its way to the grain-carrier D. overthe chute d.

To one end of each support is pivoted a rod said rod passing up throughthe casing A and being provided with an. adjusting-nut c on its supportend. The other end of each support rests on cams 0 carried by thetransverse shaft 0' supported in bearings on the main frame. The shaft 0is provided at one end with a lever 0. By turning the nuts 0 and leverc, the concave maybe adjusted in relation to the cylinder C.

I will now describe the beater mechanism.

D D are transverse shafts carrying sprocket-wheels (Z (I, which arecoupled together in pairs on each side by the sprocket chains (7. Saidsprocket-chains d are provided at intervals with lugs (7 in which arepivoted the transverse rods (1 carrying the fingers (P. To the outerends of the rods (Z adjacent to the casing, are secured the crankarms (7provided at their free ends with friction-rollers d, traveling incanrgrooves (Z on each side of the casing. The cam-grooves (l are ofsuch form that the fingers (Z will stand nearly at right angles to theirpath of travel during their upward and backward sweep, but will. lienearly in the plane of their path of travel during their forward anddownward sweep, as shown in Fig. 3.

E E designate curved guards between which the fingers d project, thuspreventing the straw from becoming entangled in the sprocket wheels andchains.

F designates a grate composed of parallel bars extending obliquelyoutward and backward, as shown in Fig. 4c. The upper face of this grateis curved, to conform to the path of travel of the fingers d in theirbackward sweep.

G designates a transverse shaft, revolving in suitable bearings andprovided with fingers which are arranged preferably in spiral order. Aguard g, formed with openings g through which the fingers g pass,prevents the straw from winding around. the shaft or becoming entangled.

The shaft G is provided with a band-pulley g at each end, and also witha sprocketwheel g. A chain passes around the wheel 9" and also around asimilar wheel on the shaft 1), whereby motion is imparted to the latter.

H designates the tailer, which is composed of a cylinder with a portionof its surface slotted, to form a grating, as shown in Fig. 3. A shaft hextends longitudinallythrough the cylinder H and is rotated by means ofbevel-gear connection with the transverse shaft h provided withband-pulleys 7L2 at each end. The shaft his provided with a series ofcurved blades or fingers arranged in spiral order and forming an augeror conveyer for carrying the strawto the dischargeopening 7L3 at therear end of the machine. The discharge-opening is formed in a bend orelbow in the cylinder, which is also provided with a bearing for one endof the shaft h.

I designates the grain-carrier, consisting of two endless belts ipassing around rollers t secured to transverse shafts belts areconnected by transverse bars and the whole is driven by band-pulleys ion one of the shafts 2' An inclined board extends upward and backwardparallel with the belts just described, and forms the bottom of thegrain-carrier. As the grain falls through the various gratings from thethrashing mechanism it is exposed to the blast from the fan K whichdrives off all of the lighter impurities.

L designates a fluted scouring-cylinder. extending across the machinenear its rear end, being secured to transverse shafts carryingband-pulleys Z. The cylinder L contained in a hopper or trough formed bya relief-valve and self-adjusting concave i2. pivoted at t and trespectively.

The relief-valve tis held in its closed position by means of thetransverse rod it provided near its center either with arms or aU-shaped bend which bears against the valve 1. The rod 25 is provided atone of its ends with an angular extension carrying an adjustable weightIt will be seen that by this arrangement the apron will be held normallyclosed by the weight, but will yield at any predetermined pressure whichhas been gaged by the weight The concave t is held in yielding contactwith the fluted roller L by a rod t, similar to the rod 15', andprovided at one end with a crank-arm 15 To the free end of the crankarmi is pivoted a rod i which passes through a bracket secured to the mainframe, and provided at its end with an adjusting-nut. A coiled spring iencircles the rod 6 between the ear and the nut, and the tension of saidspring holds the concave t in yielding contact with the roller L, asheretofore described.

H M are transverse slats, pivoted at their longitudinal centers in thesides of the machine. These slats are connected by a rod with an arm onon a transverse shaft on provided on the outside of the casing with ashort handlever m by means of which the slats are adjusted.

The wind-trunk N which enters the eye of the fan K opens into the casingon both sides, just forward of the slats M, creating a suctionblast atthat point, which blast can be regulated by opening or closing theslats.

O is a screen supported on links 0 at each side and shakenlongitudinally by eccentrics 0 on the shaft 0 through the strap connec-These 3 tions The shaft 0 revolves in bearings secured to the main frameand is provided at each end with a band-wheel o".

In operation, the grain is delivered to the hopper L by thegrain-earrier. The revolution of the fluted scouring-cylinder carriesthe grain in even feed up over the apron '6, from the upper edge ofwhich it falls over the slats M M upon the inclined board 0 and duringthis descent it is exposed to the suction-blast from the fan K, whichremoves any light impurities which may remain. The grain is then passedover the inclined board 0 to the screen 0, which removes any heavyforeign material not taken off by the fanblasts. The grain, afterpassing through the screen, passes to the conveyer P over the inclinedboard o forming the bottom of the machine, and is delivered to the sideof the machine, while the screenings pass over the rear end at 0 The fanK is located near the forward end of the machine. The vertical fan-shaftis supported in hearings in the fan-casing and is provided at its lowerend with the frictiondisk 71;.

k a transverse shaft revolving in suitable bearings'and having featherednear its center a friction-disk 7:2 the periphery of which contacts withthe under face on the disk on the fan-shaft. Then the shaft 7c isrevolved by the application of power to the band-pulleys on each end,the motion. imparted to the disk 71; through frictional contact with thedisk 71: is in creased or decreased as the point of contact is moved toor from the center of the disk is.

7; are flat springs attached at one end to a collar feathered on theshaft 71; and at the other end to the disk 79, said springs carryingballs 75*.

It will be seen that if the speed of the shaft in increases from anycause the increased centrifugal force will cause the balls to stand offfarther from the center of revolution, thereby drawing the disk 76, andconsequently its point of contact, farther from the center of the disk7;, thereby diminishing the relative speed of the fan. The firstadjustment of the disks in and k is made by means of a transverse shaftis, provided with cranks at each end and screwthreaded for a portion ofits length. A nut it travels on this screwthreaded portion, said nutbeing provided with a forked arm 75, embracing a groove encircling thecollar on the shaft is.

R is a bell-crank lever pivoted at 7', one arm of which is bifurcated toembrace the fan-shaft and bear upon the upper surface of thefriction-disk It. To the other arm of said lever is pivoted a rod r,passing through some fixed portion of the casing and provided with anadjusting-nut 7". By operating the nut r the contactbetween thefriction-disks may be increased or diminished, as will be understoodupon reference to Fig. 3.

S is the belt-tightener, consisting of a lever carrying at one end theband-wheel s, and at the other end pivotally connected with the rod 8,said rod passing through bracket 5 and provided at its lower end withthe adjusting-nut a A coil-spring s encircles the rod between thebracket and the adjustingnut and the slack in belt is taken up by theelasticity of spring. The system of belting is illustrated clearly inFig. 1, and it needs no detailed description.

From the foregoing description of the mechanism only a brief statementof the operation of the machine will be necessary.

The material to be thrashed passes bet-ween the cylinder and concaveswhen the thrashing process begins. It is then seized by the fingers dand carried back between the grate F and guards Er Between the movingfingers and the stationary grate the straw is thoroughly agitated beforebeing directed by the fingers g on shaft G to the tailer, where it issubjected to the action of the blades thereon which insures the removalof every particle of grain and passes the straw out of the tailer-spout.

The passage of the grain through the hopper and over slats M and screws0 to the delivery-spout has been described already.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim to be new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a separator, the thrashing-cylinder, the traveling fingers, camguides for controlling their movements, and a grate locatedbe- -low thefingers, combined with a revolving shaft provided with fingers, andlocated in the rear of the traveling fingers, the slotted guard locatedjust behind said shaft, the slotted tailer, a revolving shaft extendingthrough the tailer and provided with curved fingers, an endless carrier,located below the grating, and a fan, substantially as described.

2. In a separator, a fluted scouring cylinder extending across the rearend of the frame under the tailer, and an endless carrier, combined witha trough in which the securing cylinder is placed and which is formed bya relief valve and self adjusting concave, substantially as set forth.

3. In a separator, the fluted scouring cylinder extending across therear end of the frame under the tailer, combined with relief Valve andself adjusting concave which form a trough for the cylinder, both valveand concave being provided with a regulating mech anism, substantiallyas specified.

a. In a separator, the fluted scouring cylinder extending across therear end of the frame, a relief valve and self adjusting concave, whichform a trough in which the cylinder is placed, and automatic adjustingdevices attached to each valve and concave, combined with a fan, andwind trunks connected thereto, substantially as described.

5. In a separator, the fluted scouring cylinder, a relief valve and selfadjusting concave which form a trough therefor, and adjusting devicesattached to the valve and concave, combined with a shaking screen placedbelow the trough, substantially as shown and described.

(5. I In a separator, the fluted scouring cylinder, a relief valve andself adjusting concave which form a trough for the cylinder, andadjusting devices applied to the valve and concave, combined with a fan,wind trunks connected with the fan, and the shaking screen,substantially as shown and described.

'7. In a separator, the fluted scouring cylinder, a relief valve andself adjusting concave which form a trough therefor, and adjustingdevices applied to the valve and concave, combined with a fan, windtrunks leading from the fan to points near the trough, and pivoted slatsplaced between the ends of the trunks,,and the fluted scouring cylinderfor controlling the suction of the fan, substan- I tially as set forth.

8. In a separator, the fluted scouring cylinder, pivoted adjustablevalve and concave which form a trough for the cylinder, and a shakingscreen placed under the trough, combined with an endless carrier, a fan,wind trunks connected therewith and pivoted slats placed between theends of the trunks and the trough, substantially as specified.

9, In a separator, a fan having an opening in the side of its casing soas to deliver a direct blast, and a suction opening through its top,combined with wind trunks which con.- nect with the suction opening atone end. regulating slats located near the rear end of the trunk, thegrooved scouring cylinder, adjustable valve and concave which form atrough for the cylinder, means for regulating the pressure of the valveand concave upon the cylinder, and a reciprocating screen located belowthe cylinder, substantially as shown.

10. In a separator the fan shaft having a disk at its lower end, adriving wheel for the fan provided with a friction wheel, combined witha governor connected with the said friction wheel and the screw threadedcrank is journaled in brackets on the main frame;

and a connecting member k one end of which is provided with a screwthreaded aperture adapted to work on the said screw threaded rod, itsother end having an eye fitted over the shaft carrying the friction diskand designed to bear against a collar thereon. substantially as shownand described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PETER E; GOOD.

lVitnesses:

THOMAS A.,SMAILES, PHILIP SENEFF.

